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Chapter 9

Leo snatched up the phone soon as April called. It barely had time to ring. He glanced over at the ghost, she was busy playing cards with Mike.

"Hello."

"Leo, it's me. Can you guys come over?"

"Sure. Are you okay? How did it go? Did it go okay? Did you get to speak to him…?"

"Yes. Okay. Yes. And yes." April interrupted him. "Listen Leo. I don't really want to speak over the phone. Can you come over?"

"All of us?"

"Yes."

"Okay. See you soon." Leo put the phone down. Splinter, Donatello and Raphael were all staring at him. "Let's go and see April," he said meaningfully.

"What did she say?" Raph murmured.

"She wouldn't talk over the phone. She wants us to go and see her." Leo grabbed a coat. Don pulled one on and looked over at Mike.

"Mikey! We're going to see April."

Mike grinned. "Okay. See ya later. Have fun!"

Leo rubbed his forehead. "Come with us Mike! She hasn't seen you in ages!"

"Hmm? Okay." He stood up, and then turned to speak to Suzie. "Nah, I'm gonna pass. You know, this might be the last chance I get to hang out with Suzie before she leaves. You guys go, I can see April another day."

Splinter frowned. "Michelangelo, I insist that…"

A sudden force pushed them all out of the room. They found themselves sitting in a heap outside the entrance to the lair as the door banged shut.

Raph scrambled out from under Splinter and then helped him up.

"That's it. I've had it." He pushed at the door intending to storm back in, but it wouldn't budge. He kicked the door in anger.

"We had better see what April and Casey found out," Splinter said, but he looked at the door of the lair anxiously without moving.

"Mike will be alright, sensei," Leo said. "Suzie likes him, she won't hurt him."

"She better not." Raph clenched his fists.

"Let's go." Don stared at the door with a worried expression for a moment, and then turned towards April's.

***

"Where's Mikey?" April asked.

"He won't come." Raph said abruptly. "Are you going to tell us what happened or what? Why couldn't you just tell us over the phone?"

"Did it all go okay?" Leo asked, frowning at Raph's impatience.

"It was fine." Casey beamed.

April gave him a black look. "It was nerve wracking but we got in okay, they thought we were family."

"Even Sullivan didn't give us away though he was pretty confused that we were there." Casey said. "We asked if he knew Susan and he kind of went pale."

"He blanched!" April's eyes widened. "At first we thought it was because he'd killed her and thought we knew. But that wasn't the case. It turns out Susan was a nasty kid, manipulative, selfish, vindictive and completely obsessed with him. She wouldn't leave him alone no matter what he did. She hated his girlfriend, and made her life a misery. The day Susan died she had a knife and threatened to kill Sullivan's girlfriend. Susan got stabbed in the struggle and was going to blame it on the two of them, accuse them of trying to kill her. Danny pushed her into the sewers to try to scare her into changing her mind, but when they went to let her out she'd gone. They assumed she'd gotten out and was too humiliated to show her face. He has no idea that she bled to death down there. He thinks she's still alive. He's convinced we're friends of hers and that she's put us up to seeing him, just to scare him and his wife. He married the girl Susan tried to kill."

Leo was stunned. "Are you sure he didn't make it up to cover himself? I mean, this all happened nearly thirty years ago. A grown man in his thirties can't still be scared by the memory of girl barely in her teens?"

Casey shook his head. "He was on the level, Leo, I could tell. Whatever shit they went through with her back then was enough to scare the crap out of him, and he's not a murderer… he's in there for petty theft."

April nodded. "Casey and I have gone through it over and over. We're convinced he's telling the truth."

Leo shook his head. "Oh no. I invited Susan into our home. She's evil and it's entirely my fault."

"I don't know if she's evil, Leo," April frowned. "She sounds like a real nasty piece of work. But I don't know if evil is the right word."

"She's out to cause trouble at home," Don said. "She's going to destroy my computer again when I rebuild it but she's nice as pie with Mikey and Leo."

"She hates me and Don," Raph said, darkly. "Not that we ever liked her to begin with."

"Why?" April asked. "Leo and Mike seemed quite taken with her…"

"I didn't like her the moment I set eyes on her," Don said. "Especially that night Leo and I found the bracelet. I didn't like the way she manipulated Leo. And the part of the sewers she haunted. It's horrible. It has a real sinister atmosphere."

"Yeah, and it stinks worse than the rest of the sewers put together, really foul, it's disgusting." Raph pulled a face. "I can always smell it on her."

Don nodded. "I can too."

Leo raised his eyebrows. "I've never noticed that."

"Yeah well, you were so intent on poking your nose in…" Raph began, and then stopped himself. He wasn't going to blame Leo. Knowing Leo he'd be feeling responsible for everything as it was.

"I did not like it either." Splinter said. "The bracelet and the smell which accompanied it made me feel extremely uneasy. But I did not expect this."

April sighed. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm worried about Mike," Leo said. "Suzie's really taken to him, he likes her too. They're hanging out all the time. She practically threw us out when we tried to get Mike to come with us."

"What do you mean, Leo?" Raph exclaimed. "She did throw us out. We couldn't get back in."

April looked startled. "She threw you out?"

Don nodded. "Telekinesis, or something."

"We'd better get back, make sure Mike's okay." Leo said. He was beginning to get very anxious thinking about his brother alone with the ghost.

***

Splinter hesitated before he pushed at the door to the lair. It swung open without any problem and they entered their home cautiously. It was dark and eerily quiet. The only light came from the TV, pictures flicked across the screen, though no sound came from it. The walls appeared to move as the broken light danced across them creating pools of moving shadow in the crevices. Leo felt clammy, and a sweat broke out on his forehead.

"…Mikey?" He said hoarsely.

Splinter's ears flicked listening for a response.

"Mike, are you okay?" Leo struggled to keep his voice steady, he felt sick with worry. Glancing at his brothers and Splinter he knew they felt the same.

Donatello looked at Leo, and then he reached for the light switch, his hand shaking as he did so.

Raphael swallowed past a lump in his throat. "Mike! Where the hell are you?"

Mike's head popped up over the back of the sofa.

"Hi guys!" He grinned broadly. "You weren't gone long."

Leo breathed out a sigh of relief, realising he'd been holding his breath.

"Mikey, give a guy a heart attack." Raph said, he went over and sat on the sofa with him. He felt like hugging him. He got him into a headlock instead. "Did you fall asleep?"

Mike nodded. "It was a bad movie. How did April and Casey get on?"

"Good. Sullivan was very co-operative. Where's Suzie?"

Mike shrugged. "I gave her a telling off for throwing you guys out." He frowned. "I can't believe she did that to Master Splinter! So anyway, either she's sulking, or I'm sulking. I don't remember." He beamed at Raph.

"Listen Mike, there's something we need to…" Leonardo paused. The skin prickled at the back of his neck, he could swear he even felt a breath. He was suddenly very cold… and now there was the smell… the evil, rank smell he'd smelt all those days ago in the sewers when he'd dug out the bracelet. He'd never felt so sick, he felt it invading his pores, seeping into his body and he had to force himself to turn. The ghost stared at him, her pale eyes boring right through his own. He felt himself flinch but Mikey's voice brought him back down to earth.

"Suzie, you said you'd apologise. Apologise to my brothers and Splinter."

She smiled at them and nodded. "Sorry."

Leo was astonished by her obvious insincerity. Suddenly she was more grotesque than before. She was no longer a helpless and cute fourteen-year-old blonde, she was a vindictive, sour faced, dead girl, and looking at Raph and Don he knew they couldn't see any difference. That was what they'd always seen. Leo's head felt clearer than it had for days, the mugginess in it was gone.

"There ya go!" Mike grinned broadly. "She's sorry. Problem sorted." He picked up the remote and flicked the channel over.

Leo sat down beside him. "Mike, we need to talk. This Danny Sullivan guy, he didn't murder Suzie."

Mike looked away from the TV. "Oh I know. Suzie explained it all to me before you got back. She wants to be honest with me. No secrets." Mike gazed over at Suzie and gave her a schmaltzy grin. "I know. Suzie hated Danny's girlfriend and tried to stab her to death her in a murderous rage. But Suzie accidentally stabbed herself in the scuffle and was going to blame them for trying to kill her." He munched on some chips and stared glassily at the TV. "Suzie's sorry though, so everything's okay now."

Leo glanced at the others. This wasn't good…

"Mike, are you feeling okay?"

"Mmm." He smiled widely and nodded.

"You're not disturbed that she tried to murder someone?"

Mikey looked puzzled a moment. "I don't think so. I mean I was at first, but I'm not now." He grinned again.

"Mike stop smiling like that, you're freaking me out." Don edged closer to Mike, his expression a picture of worry.

"Sorry!" Mike said cheerily.

Leo turned back to Suzie. "I think you should leave now." He snarled.

She shook her head and spread out her arms. "Home." She smiled.

"Our home." Raph glowered. "Not yours."

She shook her head. "Ours." She pointed from herself to Mike.

They felt the force again, only much stronger, start to push them from the room once more.

"Oh no you don't!" Raph lunged for the sofa, but missed by a fingertip and they found themselves sitting outside the door in sewer water again.

Splinter leant his chin on his hand and tapped his nose impatiently. "We need a plan."

Raph jumped up with a roar and pushed at the door, then tried kicking it, punching it, and finally hit his head on it.

"What's she done to Mike?"

"He's gone all… dozy." Don hugged his knees, not bothering to get out of the sewer water. He frowned, a million thoughts going through his mind at once. "She's more powerful." He looked at Splinter. "Sensei… you don't think she's feeding off Mike?"

Raph yelled and kicked the door again.

Splinter gave Donatello a troubled look.

"She made me go 'dozy'," Leo frowned. "It was hard to think. I did stupid things. I walked through the streets in daylight without a disguise when I went to see April. Now I think about it, I felt kind of drained. I couldn't stop thinking about Suzie. I was obsessed with wanting to help her."

"How did you snap out of it?" Donatello asked, standing up.

"When I knew her history and found out she wasn't the helpless victim I'd originally thought…" Leo's brow furrowed. "And when I saw her in there just now, she was just like you guys described and she stunk." He looked sick. "She was pretty gross."

"At last." Raph folded his arms.

"All that time I thought you guys were being unfair to her. But I guess you were actually pretty patient with me."

Don glared at the door. "We shouldn't have been."

"I should have kicked your ass at the start," Raph growled.

"I should have forbidden you to get involved." Splinter shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "But there is no time for regrets. We must deal with the consequences."

"But Michelangelo knows her history now, she's told him and he hasn't been shaken out of it." Leo murmured. He tried the door again and it swung open, they exchanged looks.

"Here we go again."

Description
Chapter 9

Leo snatched up the phone soon as April called. It barely had time to ring. He glanced over at the ghost, she was busy playing cards with Mike.

"Hello."

"Leo, it's me. Can you guys come over?"

"Sure. Are you okay? How did it go? Did it go okay? Did you get to speak to him…?"

"Yes. Okay. Yes. And yes." April interrupted him. "Listen Leo. I don't really want to speak over the phone. Can you come over?"

"All of us?"

"Yes."

"Okay. See you soon." Leo put the phone down. Splinter, Donatello and Raphael were all staring at him. "Let's go and see April," he said meaningfully.

"What did she say?" Raph murmured.

"She wouldn't talk over the phone. She wants us to go and see her." Leo grabbed a coat. Don pulled one on and looked over at Mike.

"Mikey! We're going to see April."

Mike grinned. "Okay. See ya later. Have fun!"

Leo rubbed his forehead. "Come with us Mike! She hasn't seen you in ages!"

"Hmm? Okay." He stood up, and then turned to speak to Suzie. "Nah, I'm gonna pass. You know, this might be the last chance I get to hang out with Suzie before she leaves. You guys go, I can see April another day."

Splinter frowned. "Michelangelo, I insist that…"

A sudden force pushed them all out of the room. They found themselves sitting in a heap outside the entrance to the lair as the door banged shut.

Raph scrambled out from under Splinter and then helped him up.

"That's it. I've had it." He pushed at the door intending to storm back in, but it wouldn't budge. He kicked the door in anger.

"We had better see what April and Casey found out," Splinter said, but he looked at the door of the lair anxiously without moving.

"Mike will be alright, sensei," Leo said. "Suzie likes him, she won't hurt him."

"She better not." Raph clenched his fists.

"Let's go." Don stared at the door with a worried expression for a moment, and then turned towards April's.

***

"Where's Mikey?" April asked.

"He won't come." Raph said abruptly. "Are you going to tell us what happened or what? Why couldn't you just tell us over the phone?"

"Did it all go okay?" Leo asked, frowning at Raph's impatience.

"It was fine." Casey beamed.

April gave him a black look. "It was nerve wracking but we got in okay, they thought we were family."

"Even Sullivan didn't give us away though he was pretty confused that we were there." Casey said. "We asked if he knew Susan and he kind of went pale."

"He blanched!" April's eyes widened. "At first we thought it was because he'd killed her and thought we knew. But that wasn't the case. It turns out Susan was a nasty kid, manipulative, selfish, vindictive and completely obsessed with him. She wouldn't leave him alone no matter what he did. She hated his girlfriend, and made her life a misery. The day Susan died she had a knife and threatened to kill Sullivan's girlfriend. Susan got stabbed in the struggle and was going to blame it on the two of them, accuse them of trying to kill her. Danny pushed her into the sewers to try to scare her into changing her mind, but when they went to let her out she'd gone. They assumed she'd gotten out and was too humiliated to show her face. He has no idea that she bled to death down there. He thinks she's still alive. He's convinced we're friends of hers and that she's put us up to seeing him, just to scare him and his wife. He married the girl Susan tried to kill."

Leo was stunned. "Are you sure he didn't make it up to cover himself? I mean, this all happened nearly thirty years ago. A grown man in his thirties can't still be scared by the memory of girl barely in her teens?"

Casey shook his head. "He was on the level, Leo, I could tell. Whatever shit they went through with her back then was enough to scare the crap out of him, and he's not a murderer… he's in there for petty theft."

April nodded. "Casey and I have gone through it over and over. We're convinced he's telling the truth."

Leo shook his head. "Oh no. I invited Susan into our home. She's evil and it's entirely my fault."

"I don't know if she's evil, Leo," April frowned. "She sounds like a real nasty piece of work. But I don't know if evil is the right word."

"She's out to cause trouble at home," Don said. "She's going to destroy my computer again when I rebuild it but she's nice as pie with Mikey and Leo."

"She hates me and Don," Raph said, darkly. "Not that we ever liked her to begin with."

"Why?" April asked. "Leo and Mike seemed quite taken with her…"

"I didn't like her the moment I set eyes on her," Don said. "Especially that night Leo and I found the bracelet. I didn't like the way she manipulated Leo. And the part of the sewers she haunted. It's horrible. It has a real sinister atmosphere."

"Yeah, and it stinks worse than the rest of the sewers put together, really foul, it's disgusting." Raph pulled a face. "I can always smell it on her."

Don nodded. "I can too."

Leo raised his eyebrows. "I've never noticed that."

"Yeah well, you were so intent on poking your nose in…" Raph began, and then stopped himself. He wasn't going to blame Leo. Knowing Leo he'd be feeling responsible for everything as it was.

"I did not like it either." Splinter said. "The bracelet and the smell which accompanied it made me feel extremely uneasy. But I did not expect this."

April sighed. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm worried about Mike," Leo said. "Suzie's really taken to him, he likes her too. They're hanging out all the time. She practically threw us out when we tried to get Mike to come with us."

"What do you mean, Leo?" Raph exclaimed. "She did throw us out. We couldn't get back in."

April looked startled. "She threw you out?"

Don nodded. "Telekinesis, or something."

"We'd better get back, make sure Mike's okay." Leo said. He was beginning to get very anxious thinking about his brother alone with the ghost.

***

Splinter hesitated before he pushed at the door to the lair. It swung open without any problem and they entered their home cautiously. It was dark and eerily quiet. The only light came from the TV, pictures flicked across the screen, though no sound came from it. The walls appeared to move as the broken light danced across them creating pools of moving shadow in the crevices. Leo felt clammy, and a sweat broke out on his forehead.

"…Mikey?" He said hoarsely.

Splinter's ears flicked listening for a response.

"Mike, are you okay?" Leo struggled to keep his voice steady, he felt sick with worry. Glancing at his brothers and Splinter he knew they felt the same.

Donatello looked at Leo, and then he reached for the light switch, his hand shaking as he did so.

Raphael swallowed past a lump in his throat. "Mike! Where the hell are you?"

Mike's head popped up over the back of the sofa.

"Hi guys!" He grinned broadly. "You weren't gone long."

Leo breathed out a sigh of relief, realising he'd been holding his breath.

"Mikey, give a guy a heart attack." Raph said, he went over and sat on the sofa with him. He felt like hugging him. He got him into a headlock instead. "Did you fall asleep?"

Mike nodded. "It was a bad movie. How did April and Casey get on?"

"Good. Sullivan was very co-operative. Where's Suzie?"

Mike shrugged. "I gave her a telling off for throwing you guys out." He frowned. "I can't believe she did that to Master Splinter! So anyway, either she's sulking, or I'm sulking. I don't remember." He beamed at Raph.

"Listen Mike, there's something we need to…" Leonardo paused. The skin prickled at the back of his neck, he could swear he even felt a breath. He was suddenly very cold… and now there was the smell… the evil, rank smell he'd smelt all those days ago in the sewers when he'd dug out the bracelet. He'd never felt so sick, he felt it invading his pores, seeping into his body and he had to force himself to turn. The ghost stared at him, her pale eyes boring right through his own. He felt himself flinch but Mikey's voice brought him back down to earth.

"Suzie, you said you'd apologise. Apologise to my brothers and Splinter."

She smiled at them and nodded. "Sorry."

Leo was astonished by her obvious insincerity. Suddenly she was more grotesque than before. She was no longer a helpless and cute fourteen-year-old blonde, she was a vindictive, sour faced, dead girl, and looking at Raph and Don he knew they couldn't see any difference. That was what they'd always seen. Leo's head felt clearer than it had for days, the mugginess in it was gone.

"There ya go!" Mike grinned broadly. "She's sorry. Problem sorted." He picked up the remote and flicked the channel over.

Leo sat down beside him. "Mike, we need to talk. This Danny Sullivan guy, he didn't murder Suzie."

Mike looked away from the TV. "Oh I know. Suzie explained it all to me before you got back. She wants to be honest with me. No secrets." Mike gazed over at Suzie and gave her a schmaltzy grin. "I know. Suzie hated Danny's girlfriend and tried to stab her to death her in a murderous rage. But Suzie accidentally stabbed herself in the scuffle and was going to blame them for trying to kill her." He munched on some chips and stared glassily at the TV. "Suzie's sorry though, so everything's okay now."

Leo glanced at the others. This wasn't good…

"Mike, are you feeling okay?"

"Mmm." He smiled widely and nodded.

"You're not disturbed that she tried to murder someone?"

Mikey looked puzzled a moment. "I don't think so. I mean I was at first, but I'm not now." He grinned again.

"Mike stop smiling like that, you're freaking me out." Don edged closer to Mike, his expression a picture of worry.

"Sorry!" Mike said cheerily.

Leo turned back to Suzie. "I think you should leave now." He snarled.

She shook her head and spread out her arms. "Home." She smiled.

"Our home." Raph glowered. "Not yours."

She shook her head. "Ours." She pointed from herself to Mike.

They felt the force again, only much stronger, start to push them from the room once more.

"Oh no you don't!" Raph lunged for the sofa, but missed by a fingertip and they found themselves sitting outside the door in sewer water again.

Splinter leant his chin on his hand and tapped his nose impatiently. "We need a plan."

Raph jumped up with a roar and pushed at the door, then tried kicking it, punching it, and finally hit his head on it.

"What's she done to Mike?"

"He's gone all… dozy." Don hugged his knees, not bothering to get out of the sewer water. He frowned, a million thoughts going through his mind at once. "She's more powerful." He looked at Splinter. "Sensei… you don't think she's feeding off Mike?"

Raph yelled and kicked the door again.

Splinter gave Donatello a troubled look.

"She made me go 'dozy'," Leo frowned. "It was hard to think. I did stupid things. I walked through the streets in daylight without a disguise when I went to see April. Now I think about it, I felt kind of drained. I couldn't stop thinking about Suzie. I was obsessed with wanting to help her."

"How did you snap out of it?" Donatello asked, standing up.

"When I knew her history and found out she wasn't the helpless victim I'd originally thought…" Leo's brow furrowed. "And when I saw her in there just now, she was just like you guys described and she stunk." He looked sick. "She was pretty gross."

"At last." Raph folded his arms.

"All that time I thought you guys were being unfair to her. But I guess you were actually pretty patient with me."

Don glared at the door. "We shouldn't have been."

"I should have kicked your ass at the start," Raph growled.

"I should have forbidden you to get involved." Splinter shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "But there is no time for regrets. We must deal with the consequences."

"But Michelangelo knows her history now, she's told him and he hasn't been shaken out of it." Leo murmured. He tried the door again and it swung open, they exchanged looks.

"Here we go again."